Prince Harry named ‘Legend of Aviation’ after firing on the Taliban from a helicopter

Prince Harry has been recognised for his contribution to aviation and aerospace and will be honoured at the 21st annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards in Los Angeles

Prince Harry is being honoured at the 21st annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards.

The royal – who flew combat missions in Afghanistan – will be recognised for his contribution to aviation and aerospace. The glitzy awards will be held on January 19, in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and are hosted by Hollywood actor and qualified pilot John Travolta.

Prince Harry served on two tours to Afghanistan with the Army and saw civilians decimated by roadside bombs and troops left lifeless on the battlefield. Harry’s time in Afghanistan left a huge impression on him and he later set up the Invictus Games in 2014 to support veterans.

Dad-of-two Harry had bragged about his military skills in his book Spare, which was released last year. In the memoirs, the royal revealed he killed 25 people while on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was an Apache helicopter pilot at the time and, in Spare, he said he flew on six missions that resulted in “the taking of human lives”.

Prince Harry during his time in Afghanistan ( 
Image:
PA)
Harry joined the British Army in 2005, and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 before he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with The Household Cavalry and turned his focus to becoming a pilot, training to fly Apache helicopters and attending gunship training where he was praised as one of the “best young Apache pilots this country has ever seen”.

Practising at the El Centro Naval Air Facility in California, the prince reportedly stunned instructors by finishing top of his class. A senior British Army source told The Sun at the time: “It sounds like a con, but Harry is genuinely shaping up to be one of the best young Apache pilots this country has ever seen. His US instructors have to treat him the same as everyone else, as we all do in the British Army.

“But they have turned round and said, ‘My God, this guy is the real deal.’ There are many skills needed to be a top-drawer Apache pilot, but apparently it’s Harry’s flying that is particularly impressive. His handling, hand-eye coordination, reaction speeds – he’s a natural. Any doubters who said, ‘Harry is royal – he’s getting special treatment,’ can leave the room now. His talent is leaving his trainers open-mouthed.”

As the talented royal continued to impress, it was announced that he would return to Afghanistan in 2012 and spent four months based at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, flying attack helicopters in the fight against the Taliban. “Our job out here is to make sure the guys are safe on the ground and if that means shooting someone who is shooting at them, then we will do it,” Harry told reporters at the time.

Prince Harry on patrol in 2008 ( 
Image:
AFP/Getty Images)
Working as an Apache co-pilot, Harry reportedly showered the militants with bullets as injured troops were airlifted to a secure location. Sarah Zenetis, the mum of American soldier Christopher ‘Tripp’ Zanetis, told The Sun : “Prince Harry came in with his protection squadron and blew the enemy to pieces. They provided enough cover for Tripp to get his men loaded on the helicopter. I believe there were Taliban members killed.”

Harry appeared to separately confirm such a mission had taken place, saying he had fired on the Taliban during operations to support ground troops and rescue injured Afghan and Nato personnel. “If there’s people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we’ll take them out of the game, I suppose,” he said. “Take a life to save a life … the squadron’s been out here. Everyone’s fired a certain amount.”

Following 10 years of service, the royal’s Army career came to an end in 2015. The Duke of Sussex is now one of four new inductees in the Living Legends of Aviation alongside Fred George, a Navy pilot and writer, Marc Parent, President and CEO of Canadian Aviation Electronics, and Steve Hinton, who held a world speed record for a decade and has worked as a pilot on more than 100 movies and TV shows. Past inductees include moon heroes Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.